Davis School District alters new high school boundary proposal
FARMINGTON — The Davis School District’s proposed high school boundary changes have been altered after much public feedback.
The district is working on boundary changes ahead of the new Farmington High School opening in 2018. The changes will impact six of the district’s high schools and the Board of Education is slated to vote on final boundaries in December.
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At a board meeting Tuesday, Oct. 3, boundary consultant Darrell White said they’ve received 612 emails since the boundary proposals were first released in August.
Taking that feedback into account, the new proposed boundary expands the southern Viewmont High School boundary down to 500 South. This will leave more students at Woods Cross High School instead of sending them to Bountiful High School because the latter school saw more students enrolled than expected this year.
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Davis School District/Supplied
The colored-in red areas of this map reflect the new changes to the boundaries that affect Viewmont, Woods Cross and Bountiful high schools.
White said he and district staff are considering changing the proposed boundary line between Davis and Layton high schools but no concrete decisions have been made.
The current proposal moves a quadrant of students east of Interstate 15 from Layton to Davis. West of the interstate the boundary would move students around Hods Hollow Park and south of Rosewood Lane from Layton to Davis.
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Davis School District/Supplied
This map shows the boundary between Davis and Layton high schools — the lime green line — and the Davis School District’s first proposed boundary change — the dark line. Text was added by the Standard-Examiner.
The district is now considering sending students in the neighborhood around Bridgecreek Lane and Weaver Lane to Layton High and, to keep numbers even, send students from around Mutton Hollow Road to Davis High.
No final decisions have been made regarding that boundary and the areas around Bridgecreek Lane, between Gentile Street and Layton Parkway and surrounding Mutton Hollow Road are all being studied.
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Davis School District/Supplied
The red areas show where the district is looking at changing the proposed boundary between Layton and Davis high schools. Text was added by the Standard-Examiner.
The district is also still looking at areas west of I-15 and east of Highway 89 in Fruit Heights. The students living in those neighborhoods might be sent to Farmington High.
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Davis School District/Supplied
The areas with a red overlay show where the Davis School District is considering making changes to the boundaries between Farmington and Davis high schools. The lime green line is the existing boundary and the dark line is the existing boundary change proposal. Text was added by the Standard-Examiner.
White said the decision was made after looking at ethnicity in those areas as well as how many students are enrolled in free and reduced lunch.
“We can’t promise you everyone is going to be happy because not everyone is going to get their first choice,” he said. “That’s an unfortunate fact of life, especially in a growing district like Davis.”
At the board meeting, two people spoke in favor of changing the Davis and Layton boundary during the public comment period which took place prior to the boundary change announcement. Both cited unfair socioeconomic disparity and a desire to make both schools more diverse and integrated.
White said school feeder patterns are also being taken into consideration and the ultimate goal is to have all of a junior high student body attend the same high school. If that’s not possible a 50/50 split is the next best option.
The district is still seeking feedback via email at hsboundary@dsdmail.net. Any more changes to the boundary proposals will be announced at public open houses at 6 p.m., Oct. 25 at Davis High and 6 p.m., Oct. 26 at Viewmont High.
District spokesman Chris Williams said parents with students in the impacted schools will receive an email containing information about the updated boundary proposals.
Contact education reporter Anna Burleson at aburleson@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnagatorB or like her on Facebook at Facebook.com/BurlesonReports.